Blood is Thicker
by ValkyrieMistress
Summary: AU: A single decision can change everything. August decides to act to prevent his family from destroying itself in the potential future, a decision that leads him to the borders of Fiore seeking the aid of a young little pink-haired mage. Fem!Raised-in-Alvarez!Natsu.
1. Because we are family

**_Disclaimer:I don't own FairyTail or anything associated with it._**

 _A/N:First ever story!I haven't seen many fics pertaining to the spriggin twelve, truthfully I wasn't too crazy about how the manga handled a lot of their fights either. And well since there are a lot of what-if stories involving Natsu trained by another dragon I thought, what if it were by a spriggin-specifically one that was a relative._

 _Just a heads up August and Larcade are biologically brothers in this. I'll explain how later on in the story._

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 _ **warning(s):**_ Possible OOCness. Fem!Natsu. Stronger-than-canon!Natsu. Smarter-than-canon!Natsu. Dragneel family fluff! AU.

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 _Because we are family_

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It is not flesh and blood, but the heart that connects one person to another as family. The man known as August Dragneel often at times liked to reflect on this old saying, and on his own relationship with his own 'father' and surrogate 'brother' as things were. And it is exactly for this reason, as well as a few other questionable things that have ultimately brought him to his destination;

The forested border of Ishgar- _Fiore_ rather.

There was a part of him that allowed a fleeting feeling of remorse to creep into his gut, guilt at what he was doing wringing his old, weathered bones into exhaustion with each new step.

' _No_ ,' he thought, recalling the fleeting looks of pain etched onto his remaining family's expressions to steel himself, ' _T_ _hey will thank me_. _Someday_.'

He was often referred to as being wise beyond his years, actual age aside that is. Hence why so many coined the title 'King of All Magic' for him. A flashy epithet if ever there was one, in his opinion; more than once had he had to clarify that he did not actually _know_ every kind of magic in existence as there were always new ones being invented. However, it was in one ear and out the other for the people who'd given him his title in the first place, much to his chagrin.

August attributed his vast knowledge and proficiency in different magics to a well-balanced mix of genetics and his own studious tendencies. His father being the infamous Zeref Dragneel, or as he was better known around these parts, The legendary Dark Wizard. And then there was his mother, Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail's own legendary tactician.

Two giants in the magical world, with neither of them knowing he even existed.

"Here," he muttered to himself, looking ahead into the dense foliage and at first seeing nothing, trying to get a sense for the familiar tug of magic that he was used to feeling when around someone like Irene.

The feeling of Dragon Slayer Magic.

Letting the familiar thrum whistling through the air guide him, he continued his treck. It was here that he hoped he would finally find _her_ , the one who just might be able to pull his family from its downward spiral into chaos before it was too late.

" **Fire Dragon's** -…" A choking sound followed the half-finished sentence and August saw a child in the distance, standing in a large desolate clearing. Surrounding trees were scorched and nearby rocks shattered into pieces with small little craters littering the ground.

The child herself—for her voice was clearly female—looked beyond exhausted, with numerous bruises and scratch marks littering her skin. Even so, she kept the determined glint in her eyes as she tried to start up her attack once more. August could only frown, seeing her fail a second time.

' _Doesn't she realize when she is at her limit_?" he thought, shaking his head at the display of such pigheadedness.

" ***huff, huff*** **… D-damn…** I-I can't..." the girl fell to her knees, gasping. Beads of sweat dripped down her brow while her vision blurred and started to swirl out of focus. "I-Igneel… Acno… logia..."

August paused suddenly at the mention of the apocalypse dragon, his eyes widening a fraction of an inch.

' _How does she know that name I wonder_?' the old wizard pondered silently. It was at that precise moment the girl finally seemed to notice his presence, whirling around.

"W-… who's there?" she demanded, coughing as she staggered a bit, her stance turning a bit more slack when she saw it was only some old guy. "A-ano…" she mumbled as she looked into his eyes from a distance.

August blinked at her; immediately he could make out the subtle differences and similarities between this girl and her brother, Zeref.

"Are you the one called Natsuya Dragneel?" he inquired, his voice powerful despite his old age. When the girl slowly nodded August gave a low hum in the back of his throat, studying her carefully.

"Who are you?" she asked, fidgeting a bit under the old man's stare. His gaze was stern, but not one of coldness.

"I am a mage. Like you I am gifted with the ability of magic," he said cryptically. "Observe."

Natsuya watched as August slowly lifted a hand into the air, spreading his fingers. She blinked, seconds ticking by when suddenly five beams of light shot forth, one from each of his fingertips, completely shattering the boulders and trees in each of their paths. Her mouth fell open at seeing the remnants of her training progress reduced to less than a pile of rubble within the span of ten seconds.

' _Whoa_ … o _nly dad and uncle Acnologia have been able to do stuff that cool!_ ' the small pinkette thought as she looked at the old geezer in awe still when she heard him chuckle.

"Interesting. So you say Acnologia is your uncle then?"

Natsuya blinked owlishly at him. Could he hear her thoughts?

"Pardon me, I don't believe I've properly introduced myself yet, have I?"

A breeze blew around the two; the wind starting to pick up.

"My name is August Dragneel."

"… eh?"

One. Two. Three seconds went by.

"EEEEEHHHHH!?"

\~\

 _In Alvarez…_

"My, this is highly unusual," a tall, voluptuous woman spoke aloud, her long scarlet hair woven into thick braids and her body sporting a risque version of a witches garb—her black top in the shape of a diamond, showing off a generous portion of her breasts with a heart-shaped pattern going along the sides. A large angular scar was visible near the exposed naval of her stomach. She, along with a gathering of other people, was seated at a large table, waiting languidly for the council they were all there for to start.

"I concur. August is usually the first to these meetings, tedious though as they may be," another at the table commented, this one being a younger looking male with spiked, shoulder length blonde and sharp-looking orange colored eyes with a crusty edge on the lashes.

Though the male's words were said in a cordial tone, he couldn't help but think back to a certain conversation he had earlier involving said mage. Against his better judgment he found himself sneaking a glance towards the black-haired individual seated at the head of the far end of the table, though he immediately looked away, however, when docile black eyes rose to meet his own.

"Larcade, is something the matter?" the owner of those deathly calm eyes questioned, drawing all the attention onto the blonde-haired male who only shook his head.

"No, it is nothing fa-" his words became lodged in his throat suddenly. It was something that made the other frown. "It is nothing…father." Larcede said, this time without faltering. "If August is not present, then perhaps we should postpone the meeting?"

A few of the others present raised eyebrows at this, none of them recalling the blonde to be particularly fond of these gatherings to begin with. To hear him suggest to postpone one, knowing full-well that attendance for them all was mandatory was… odd. Even so, few bothered to dwell on the matter.

" _He who takes no chances wins nothing, Larcade._ " _The stern gaze of August remained fixed on him, causing the younger Dragneel to shift uncomfortably while looking away._ _A_ _pang of some raw hurtful emotion_ _was_ _crawl_ _ing_ _into his chest causing it to ache. "If not for our own, then for father's sake, this is a chance worth taking._ "

" _And what makes you so certain_?" _Larcade challenged. He didn't care if it was wise or not to do so, figuring August was willing to take a fools chance to try and mend their broken little family. Just this once, Larcade figured he could afford to be the cold voice of reality._

 _Otherwise, who else was there?_

 _It was the elder mans next words however that caused the smallest budding of hope in Larcade's chest._

" _Because we are family."_

Larcade wasn't aware most of the gathered twelve had already left until someone stopped just a few feet in front of him, their voice mildly curious.

"It's not like you to be so lost in thought. Care to share?"

His head jerked just a bit, startled. His orange eyes meeting the brown orbs of one Dimaria Yesta.

"Oh, Dimaria, I apologize,"he said, letting a small smile slip across his face rising from his seat. "It was nothing. I simply tend to lose track of things such as time in these meetings I'm afraid, hence why I make it a habit of avoiding them you see."

A small bubble of laughter came spilling from Dimara's lips, mirth shining in those chocolate brown eyes of hers while she nodded, swaying her hips some as she continued to walk towards the door looking over her shoulder all the while with a mischievous little smile and blowing him a very 'not-so-innocent' little kiss. "Right, well, whenever you wish to talk about whatever it is that's bothering you _prince-san_ , I'll be more than happy to lend an ear for you~!"

Larcade couldn't help the slight flush of his cheeks at the playful tone of her voice, watching her disappear out the door.

"Such a strange girl," he muttered under his breath a moment later, shaking his head.

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Back in Fiore, August was in the midst of explaining a rather generous—in his opinion—deal to the little pink-haired girl in the forest. Watching her brows scrunch together whilst folding her arms in a look that suggested she was deeply considering his words, however far-fetched they may have seemed at first. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, repeating the motion about several times.

"You say you want… to train me? _Me_?" she emphasized, still doubtful.

"I can teach you Fire Magic on a level that surpasses that of Ishgar's Four Heavenly Kings even, as well as plenty other things any self-respecting mage _should_ know." At this he gained a more matter-of-factual tone, watching the way Natsuya's nostrils flared in a slight show of indignation. "It will take time and dedication, of that you can be sure, but you will be grateful for it in the long run."

"Well, what's in it for you then?" she asked. He could tell the promise of more power was tempting to her though, his words stirring the need to gather strength inside her.

"A second chance," was all he said, using the same cryptic tone as before. "Along with the piece of mind that perhaps no soul is truly beyond salvation, little one."

If Natsuya was confused by this stranger's words, then she didn't dwell on it. Instead holding out her little hand with a glint of familiar determination brewing in those dark onyx eyes of hers.

"Alright. It's a deal then."

August reached for her hand, the two sharing in a handshake, neither knowing fully of the changes this agreement would bring.

Once searching for the family she lost; the other hoping to reunite the lost members of his estranged kin.

It was a gamble that would change both their lives, hopefully for the better.

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 _ **Review.**_

 _Also flames will be ignored._


	2. Dissonance

**Disclaimer: I own nothing nothing.**

 _A/N:_ _Not sure how many of you are familiar with it yet, but there is a character from the manga series Fairy Tail 100 year quest making an appearance in this chapter as I thought it fitting, considering how this story will deal with more family-oriented issues. That being said, that is in no way saying I personally like the series-I am still somewhat on the fence about it to be quite honest-but to those who would leave reviews just to bash on it. Don't bother, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, for now it's just the one character, not sure if I'll bring in another or not._

 _Enjoy!_

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 ** _Dissonance_**

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 _The first time Ignia met his so-called 'sister' she had been at the meager age of_ five, _when she was barely able to pronounce her own name let alone their father's._ Nevertheless _Igneel had grinned that infuriatingly proud smile of his; proud of a mere human who had done nothing of worth. Ignia had sneered and turned away almost immediately, barely flicking his molten eyes down to look at the_ pinkette _._

 _"So even her own brother does not want her?" he commented, the words tinged with the slightest bit of malice relishing in that simple fact. Her real family had abandoned her, this_ of course _earned him his father's ire._

 _Ignia's appearance was that of a toned, muscular individual opposed to his father's abnormal size and crimson red scales, with his light-colored hair styled upwards and tinged on the ends with two longer strands framing his face. There were several tattoos covering his upper body, including a gathering of flame-like ones on his face, an image of the sun covering most of his left pectoral and some kind of tribal design running down his left arm. He wore loose-fitted pants with a fur-lining in the middle, dark-colored on the top and light-colored on the bottom._

" **It is a complicated matter, as I have said before**."

 _"I don't do complicated," was the flippant response given, accompanied by Ignia's signature smirk. He gave the tiny human one last look-over, ready to dismiss her completely._

' _Why father wasted his time with her, I'll never understand_ ,' Ignia thought disdainfully, recalling all the events that led to the here and now as he gazed down from a far-off secluded section of the forest, watching Natsuya's face light up while as she continued to converse with the newcomer—August, if he heard correctly. ' _Interesting. And here I thought her family was dead_.'

He watched them leave together; saw the way Natsuya paused with her head turning in his direction, but he didn't budge from his spot, knowing the distance was too great for her to actually see him standing there. A larger part of him doubted she would recognize him regardless, too young to hold onto anything concrete about his features.

Or so he thought.

~o~

Natsuya couldn't quite place the scent on the wind, only really focusing or caring about how similar it is to her father's, Igneel's.

She stopped just on the outskirts of the forest while following August, turning and sniffing a bit. It was only slightly different, carrying more of an underlying orchid/cinnamon mix to it. When she saw no source in sight however, she reluctantly dismissed the odd occurrence, hearing August calling out her name.

"So, you said you're my family right?" Natsuya began after a few more moments of silence between them. "Are you like, my grandpa then?"

Though August had been expecting such an inquiry it still made his left brow twitch just a little bit. Sometimes being the only one to know the truth had it's vices, but then again, he'd wished to at least wait until they were back in Alvarez and all gathered in one room to avoid the repetitive task of re-explaining everything.

Even he had his limits after all.

"All will be revealed once we have returned to Alvarez, though I can assure you that we are most certainly related by blood," he affirmed. Natsuya stared at him, blinking wide, innocent eyes.

"What's Alveerez?"

"Alvarez," August corrected patiently. "It is my home, and the place where the rest of our family is located."

Natsuya pondered this. A far-off memory she couldn't fully recall momentarily rising to the surface.

( _Molten colored eyes peered into hers with an unspoken challenge she didn't quite understand followed by an unmistakable warmth that she didn't think was supposed to be there since they were strangers. And yet... at the same time, they weren't_.)

Natsuya was quick to push the small little pang of something—pain, sadness, grief, she didn't know—further down into her gut before it could take root and grow. She walked with purpose now, a part of her clinging onto the hope that perhaps this relative of hers could help rid her of such puzzling thoughts. She felt like something somewhere was taunting her and she didn't like it.

"So, hey," she said as she caught up to August, smiling because she wasn't alone anymore. "When do we start training?" she asked, excited at the prospect of growing even stronger.

"Once we are back in Alvarez you will join the others for lessons, and then we will begin to schedule individual sessions soon after." August answered, pausing to look at her. "To be honest there is someone whom I wish to consult regarding the nature of your magic first, since they utilize the same kind of magic."

"Oh..." Natsuya blinked, looking confused at first then registered his words. "Wait, you know someone who uses dragon slaying magic too!?"

August let a rare smile cross his features. "She was the one who invented the art, actually."

"She… invented it?" Natsuya said in awe. "Cool! Hey, do you think she'd know how to find Igneel or Acnologia?"

August tensed a bit at the mention of the Apocalypse dragon, knowing for a fact people rarely went purposely looking for him. Curious, he decided to ask one of the questions weighing heavily on his mind. "Perhaps… but first, how about you tell me how it is you and he became so close? Dragons themselves are believed to be solitary creatures—yet you claim to have befriended two already."

"Huh?" Natsuya looked a little dumbfounded. "What are you talking about? I didn't befriend anybody, I've been with Igneel for as long as I can remember, he's my dad and he-argh!" She clutched her head thinking back on her time with Igneel when a sharp pain cut her off just as she began to recall another being who was similar in appearance and smell. The memories became more blurred and murky.

"Are you alright?" August inquired, observing her with a twinge of concern.

"I… y-yeah. Uncle Acnologia, well… he doesn't actually like it when I call him that..." her expression seemed to drop a bit, shoulders slumping. "To be honest, I don't really know why he showed up to help me; he came not too long after Igneel. He hit me and yelled a lot though, but..."

"But…?" August repeated, arching a questioning brow.

Natsuya fidgeted some, looking more put out, uncomfortable even. She avoided his eyes for a few moments before speaking in a tone only barely above that of a whisper. "I didn't want to be alone anymore. To stick around, he said my smell reminded him of someone he once knew," she shifted from one foot to the other. "Sorry, my memories are kind of fuzzy right now."

"I see," August said after a beat of silence. 'Could someone have cast magic on her in order to alter her memories perhaps? If so, then for what purpose?' he pondered, unsure of whether or not his own father could have been the culprit. "No matter, for now we should hurry back to Alvarez," he relented eventually. "There are mages there who share a strong affinity with various types of magic, I'm almost certain one of them can shed some light on your predicament." Natsuya smiled a bit more, nodding.

"By the way," Natsuya began once they started walking again, "What kind of food do they have there? Anything good?"

~o~

Ajeel Lamur wasn't really having the time of his life. Studying was plain stupid—he'd told his grandfather as much—even more so with August gone off to who knows where. It ended in another heated argument.

They'd been arguing a lot since coming to the capital, Ajeel pondered. He hated it here anyway, he much preferred the deserts back home surrounded by sand as far as the eye could see; at least the sand never yelled at him. ' _Stupid magical theory_ ,' he thought trying hard to focus on the beginning paragraph, getting about halfway before tossing the damn thing aside.

"Arrgh! Why would I need such useless stuff anyway!?"

Infuriated he pulled at his wild, chocolate-colored hair, messing it up even more so than usual. He wasn't bothered by the warmer than usual weather going around, often at times forgoing a shirt even in cases of extreme cold, wearing a simple pair of baggy brown-colored trousers. His complexion was a lot more tan than most of the others, alluding to his different heritage at times.

" _Tch_!" He picked up a nearby rock, tossing it. The wild light in his eyes dimming some as he watched it skip along the surface of the pond, heaving out a sigh when it finally sank.

"I hate this place," he muttered, already in the process of picking up another rock.

"Oh, surely it isn't _that_ bad here?" A sing-song voice interrupted, startling Ajeel and making him jump… falling right into the pond.

"Dammit Dimaria!" Ajeel hissed, glaring daggers at the blonde woman who only smiled back. "Stop sneaking up on me!"

"Aw, but it's so much fun seeing you react-"

"Last time I fell off a building," he deadpanned, not at all amused.

"Exactly."

The two held each others stare, with Ajeel's left brow twitching ever so slightly, wanting nothing more than to throttle the one standing before him. Only he tried that just last week and it resulted in a trip to the emergency room, so he bit his tongue…

' _Just this once_.' he thought trying to wring the water out of his pants at the very least.

"What do you want anyway?" he asked instead, knowing neither of them considered the other a friend. Hell, he was pretty sure none of the other spriggans were his friends at the moment. It didn't matter that most of them were around the same age.

"I'm looking for the prince," she announced and Ajeel only blinked. A beat of silence, then…

"He's not in his room, I checked." She supplied, answering his un-asked question, expression turning serious. "And the emperor wishes to avoid another 'incident'."

"Maybe he shouldn't lock himself in a tower then," Ajeel quipped. It was more so just for the sole purpose of antagonizing her really than a shot at the emperor himself, or even Larcade. But the KI Dimaria directed at him shut up any kind of snide remark he was going to follow up with, making his skin crawl.

"Just shut up and help me look for him," she ordered.

Ajeel bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, the blonde's cold, commanding stare reminding him of another—" _There is no such thing as happiness. Not for you, Ajeel_ "—clutching at the ugly scar that marred the flesh of his right shoulder, hidden by clean white wrappings. Dimaria noticed this, losing her harsher look in favor of a more calm one. She opened her mouth to apologize, only for it to be a second too late.

Ajeel was gone. Disappearing like sand in the wind.

~o~

Reading was the best means of escaping from an otherwise harsh reality for Larcade. And if given the choice, he would do it far from the confines of his room where he felt more like a prisoner with each passing day. He'd developed a bad habit of sneaking out often, getting craftier after each failed attempt especially after coming to the realization that anyone other than August had no idea where to find him.

The path Larcade had taken through the meadow was as visible as any trail in a fresh snowfall. The tall grasses, inflexible in their dryness were flattened from the far hedgerow to the canopy of woodland leaves where he now sat drinking in the shade, a book propped on his lap. The wild flowers were a cacophony of color on the fading green; purple thistles, blue cornflowers, red poppies and tall asters with their yellow centers. There was no coordination like the displays in town, just a free-for-all choreographed by the wind.

He was busily pouring himself into the pages, soft strands of blonde hair catching the slivers of sunlight peeking through the leaves overhead, humming softly as he flipped a page. The old, weathered tome easily fell apart at the very seams, but Larcede didn't mind, recalling how his father had mentioned it in passing as one of his mother's all-time favorites. He could understand the appeal really, fairies were such fascinating creatures!

In his younger years he had often indulged in fantasizing about what it would be like to actually meet one, over the years coming to the realization they simply didn't exist. Still, he liked knowing he still had a piece of his mother somewhere in the stories she once read.

"I hope August comes back soon..." he sighed to himself, feeling a tad dejected the elder male wasn't present to catch him and bring him back. Truthfully, it was probably the closest anyone's ever gotten in terms of playing a game with him and so he missed it.

' _Even father avoids me, especially after that one time_...' His grip on the cover ends of the book tightened, the wind picking up around him the tiniest amount. He felt a sharp pain shoot through his mind, disrupting his focus oblivious to how his eyes momentarily glowed a bright, vivid orange-" _Argh_! Not this again!"

He grinds his teeth together, desperate to hold out until the surge of pain went away, clutching his head trying to block the loud buzzing noise in his ears like every other time. And like every other time the feeling faded, leaving him drained and unable to move, falling listless to the ground with small tendrils of pure, raw magical energy seeping from his body.

The surrounding air becoming thick with ether-nano.

~o~

Natsuya didn't immediately recognize where she was. It took a few moments for her to realize she was back in the forest where August had found her, only now August was gone. The wide plains of grass seemed to stretch farther now. It was nighttime. The air with thick with the presence of ether-nano and heat— **sweltering** blazingly _hot_ kind of heat; like an inferno.

"You're being deceived," a harsh voice spoke from behind her.

She jumped and whirled around catching the lingering scent on the wind, recognizing it as-

"Igneel!?"

The person she saw wasn't Igneel, but a human boy. Or, well, man; in fact he seemed vaguely familiar somehow but she wasn't sure why. She didn't think she knew anyone with so many tattoos along their body with eyes like fire. He had light-colored hair going upward with the ends tinged and a large cross-shaped pendant hanging around his neck with three triangular earrings on each ear.

The stranger smirked slowly unfolding their arms, looking her over carefully.

"I see you're still as slow as ever. Not really a surprise though," she blinked and he was in front of her. His two index fingers poking her in the head almost knocking her back onto her bum before she managed to steady herself.

She blushed, more than a little miffed at being treated so poorly by a complete stranger. "H-hey! What's the big idea, huh? Y-you wanna fight!?"

The newcomer stared at her for what felt like a long while before smirking, showing off his sharp canines and making her shiver in fear at the feral-looking grin on his face. "Sure, too bad at your current level it wouldn't be much of a fight. Now once you get stronger, well..."

 _BAM_!

Natsuya yelped, losing her balance and falling, scrambling back as a molten fist embedded itself into what was once the forest floor, turning it into a sea of fire. As if presenting an artistic masterpiece, the stranger held up his hands in an almost grandiose fashion, still grinning.

"W-w-what are you-"

"Remember this name girl, so they can put it on your tombstone later on; My name is Ignia, the true child of Igneel."

Natsuya stood at her full height, not even reaching what must have been his knees feeling like a little leaf caught in a very big wind. His next words freezing her little heart.

" **I intend to bury you**."

She woke up with an ear-piercing scream. The patrons of the hotel she and August were at rushed to see what the commotion was about as August did the same. She refused to let anyone other than August see her cry however, not wanting to come off as weak.

Acnologia had taught her that much at least, that weakness was something she couldn't afford to have.

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 **Review.**

 _Question:_ _What do you guys think of Ignia? What do you think Ignia meant by his warning?_


	3. Trap of Fire

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

 _A/N:_ _Here we are, chapter 3 and I'm so excited! And I just wanted to say thanks so much to everyone who's been leaving reviews, has favorited or followed as it really means a lot and it really does motivate me to try and crank out each chapter._

 _Enjoy!_

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 _Trap of Fire_

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 **It was a festival of colors and laughter, smiles and dancing.**

Larcade lingered near the large archway that lead into what he knew to be the center of Vistarion, the capital of Alvarez, fidgeting some while his eyes went anywhere and everywhere at once-seeing the people, the decorative ribbons, the large banisters being hung- he had never seen such celebration before. Even for his own birthdays, which consisted most of the time of just him and Sir August perhaps. It was daunting in a way, momentarily overpowering his small little surge of curiosity wanting to see the townsfolk up close and personal rather than from up high through his bedroom window.

' _Everyone looks so happy_ ,' The young prince thought forcing himself to take that first step, swallowing hard. His small stature making it an easy task, meandering about through the sea of people. He went left, he went right. His small stomach growling when the scent of something delicious came his way, drawing his attention back around, pulling him towards a random stall – one of many lined up along the streets.

He stopped in front of one of the more decorated stands, barely reaching up over the counter-top. His eyes were wide with his lips parted the smallest amount, drool forming at the corners standing on his small little tiptoes and seeing the biggest slab of meat he'd ever beheld slowly being cooked to perfection. The aroma of the different blends of spices and seasonings was heavenly. Tilting his head just a little more and he was able to read the sign overhead…

' _Bapimpi..Bapimpa_ … _._ _bowl_ _s?_ ' He'd never heard of such a thing and he was fairly certain none of the palace cooks ever made sch a dish before. Perhaps he was mistaken though…?

"Order up!" One of the people standing on the other side of the counter called, with Larcade catching a whiff of something delicious as a bowl was sent sliding right past where he peered over the edge of the stand making his stomach growl viciously at the aroma of meat, well-seasoned with various herbs grown around the nearby forests and just the right mix of fresh vegetables on the side. What Larcade failed to notice was the slender pair of hands that caught it, stopping it from rushing off and hitting the gravel-covered side of the road accompanied by the sound of smacking lips in obvious delight.

The owner of the hands that caught said bowl looked up, seeing the way Larcade was frowning while hearing his stomach growl still looking at the meat being cooked, his delicate features pulling into a small look of dismay digging around in his pockets some.

"Excuse me..."

Larcade turned, blinking wide eyes up at the other person, a girl – he could tell by the high pitch of voice and the others much larger chest area – feeling a tad sheepish for not noticing her before offering a small apologetic bow, figuring her to be of higher standing than most of the others judging by the ornate design of her clothes. It was rare for him to be so unobservant of his surroundings. The girl just looked too much like a princess of some kind; with her flowing blue-colored sleeves and ornate golden hairpiece carefully woven through her dark tresses.

Emerald-green met olive-black and somehow Larcade felt a tad more small standing before them before realizing the other girl had scooted up off the stool she sat on, leaning incredibly close and into the prince's own personal space. "Uh, um...p-pardon, but why are you...?" Larcade mumbled taking a few cautionary steps back, averting his gaze some.

"Hmm," the raven-haired girl didn't comment on the others obvious discomfort, looking perplexed. "Oh I'm terribly sorry, it's just...gosh, has anyone ever told you that you look an awful lot like the emperor?" Larcade shifted, his small little fingers nervously twisting the front of his shirt while he avoided her prodding eyes.

"Wait, could you be... _the prince_!?"

The declaration rang out louder than she might have intended, bringing all laughter and celebratory dancing to an abrupt halt as everyone suddenly began to clamber around him, yelling to be heard over one another and shoving to get a closer look.

"The prince!?"

"He's _here_?"

"I thought he never left the castle!"

"Uh..." Larcade's eyes darted around, looking for a quick escape but found none. Only more people. He felt his chest constrict, his breaths becoming a tad more strained feeling the anxiety build.

" _My my,_ such a commotion so early in the day..."A tall voluptuous woman spoke aloud, her long scarlet hair woven into thick braids, sporting a risque version of a witches garb, her black top in the shape of a diamond showing off a generous portion of her breasts with a heart-shaped pattern going along the sides. A large angular scar was visible near the exposed naval of her stomach. The crowd parted around her as she closed the distance between her and the prince in just a few long strides, offering him placating smile.

"Oh, it's Lady Irene!" Most of the men grew hearts in their eyes waving eagerly at the beautiful female spriggin, desperate to catch her gaze suddenly. Larcade was grateful for it really, drawing in a deep calming breath to rid himself of the remaining shred of anxiety he felt.

"Dear young prince," Irene began in a surprisingly calmer tone than Larcade expected to hear slowly raising his eyes to meet her own able to discern the small undercurrent of disappointment in her voice. "As I'm certain Sir August has informed you, it is still ill-advised for you to wander about amongst the townsfolk-think of how distraught your father would become should something tragic befall you?"

Larcade remained silent, lowering his head and looking down towards the cobblestone path once more. "….Yes. I understand," the prince said in a soft, resigned tone of voice. "I wasn't thinking when I snuck out, I apologize."

A beat of silence passed between them.

"This is the third time this week prince Larcade." Irene pointed out, one elegant brow arched in silent askance, ' _why do you keep doing it_?' He knew what she would ask before the words left her mouth, and just like all the other times he would lie.

" _I was curious_." He would say, to both her and August. Always too afraid of speaking the truth, not wanting to sound ungrateful for all that he had back in the palace.

' _I feel so alone_.' He thought to himself as he followed the elder wizard back onto the palace grounds where all too quickly he was passed off onto Minister Yajeel who welcomed him back. "Please inform August to be more careful when watching over the prince, as I'm sure eh understands the severity of the consequences, should anything happen in the emperor's absence." Irene informed, a trickle of amusement spilling into her words towards the end.

Yajeel for his part, appeared puzzled. Only with his next words did Larcade understand why though, "hm? Oh my, Lady Irene, so you are saying that you have not seen Lord August at all today then?"

Irene frowned. A glimmer of some dangerous emotion shone in her eyes.

"Is August not inside the palace at this time?" Irene countered, her grip on her staff becoming tighter.

"I'm afraid he is not. I have already inquired over his presence to both my grandson Ajeel as well as Serena also, neither claim to have seen him today."

"Oh I see. How _interesting_..."

During the conversation Larcade tried to make himself as small as possible, hedging away from the two adults and more towards the door leading into one of the halls. Irene was slowly becoming irritated, and even he knew better than to stick around for that.

"Very well then, I suppose it cannot be helped." Irene turned suddenly, her eyes zeroing in on the small prince now standing a few feet away, her lips slowly spreading into a smile. "Come along Larcade, it seems _I_ will be overseeing your training for the day."

"Wha-…?" He looked towards Yajeel, swallowing the lump that leapt up in his throat when the elderly minister offered him a small sympathetic smile. Larcade felt knots form in his stomach recalling the last time Irene oversaw his training, remembering how sore and awful he felt afterwards.

"That won't be necessary Irene as the emperor wishes to speak with him."

Larcade inwardly sighed in relief while Irene only pouted a small bit, looking a tad put-off. Larcade immediately perked up a moment later, registering Yajeel's words.

"So then, father has returned?" He smiled a real, genuine smile seeing Yajeel nod. "It's already been 19 days, he usually isn't back so quickly." Larcade added, making the two older mages laugh a bit as his previous shy demeanor was swept aside in favor of the abundance of joy that came from being around his only family.

"Well today is a special occasion, is it not?" Yajeel commented, still smiling.

If possible, Larcade's own smile grew wider. His cheeks gaining a light tint of pink to them, "o-oh I thought maybe he didn't..."

"I believe he mentioned something about stopping by your room, why don't you go and wait for him there?" Yajeel recommended, watching the young prince nod happily, running in the direction of one of the winding hallways that lead to his bedroom.

Irene watched him go, the smile melting from her lips when she turned her sharp gaze back onto Yajeel.

"About August..."

"Yajeel?"

"Yes?"

"The emperor is not due back for another month at the very least." Irene said plainly, leveling the old minister with a withering look. "Why did you lie to the prince like that?"

His response comes in the form of a plain white envelope. She stares at it, one elegant brow arched in silent askance when she notices the rather elegant, well-written scrawl covering the middle portion. Wordlessly taking it before a coy little smirk tugged at the corners of her lips, examining it closely, "well, so August wrote me a letter? Who knew that we were pen-pals?"

"It would seem..." Yajeel began patiently, drawing her sharp gaze towards his face once more, "Serena has received one as well, I did not peruse the contents of the letter, I only know it was delivered just today with a notice attached that requested it be given to the two of you as soon as possible. He also requested that neither the other Spriggins or even the Emperor himself be made aware of anything."

Irene frowned. "August keeping secrets? How unlike him." It was true, in fact his honest nature and stern approach to things is part of the reason Irene found his company more tolerable than others a majority of the time-maybe not all the time, he was still just a man after all.

Brushing past the minister Irene flipped open the envelope with a single nail, scanning the letter's contents on the way to her room. She came to a halt just outside the door to her quarters pausing on a single name written in elegant scrawl, glaring at it with an intense amount of loathing and dare she admit to it- _fear_.

" _Ignia!?"_

~x~

Serena-better known by his alias of 'God Serena'-was often considered an eccentric individual, rarely ever getting serious on things. His choice of style often highlighting his personality even, with medium-length, wavy and spiked orange hair that juts out at the top in a shape similar to rabbit ears; he has thick eyebrows and bears a scar over the bridge of his nose. Garbed in a fanciful white robe with blue long sleeves, a blue belt and blue pants. His chest and neck area is covered by a small red cloak with white colored edges, a large collar and three yellow colored crescent shapes lined up vertically on both sides over his chest. He also wears simple pair of boots that reaches below his knees, though his most prominent feature is the large wheel of blades present on his back that resembled a dharma wheel giving him that extra flare as he liked to call it.

"This does not bode well..."

God Serena watched from his bedroom window as the last vestiges of the setting sun disappeared over the horizon, the copper hues giving way to a dusty purple scattered with the occasional glitter of a faraway star. The distant skyline stood silhouetted against a velvety sky, the golden dusk enveloped by the twilight sky. The city was quiet down below, with a majority of the citizens already stowed away inside.

He glanced back over his shoulder towards the coffee table sitting in the center of the room, a single open letter lying on the polished wooden surface.

" _Ain't no such thing as a Dragon God. Or Dragon Kings. 'Cause anything like a Dragon is toast when I get through with 'em_." He recalled words spoken so callously, long ago to one of his fellow Shield members, when questioned on the source of his own magic-the magic that earned him his title of 'God' Serena-commenting on a rumor he was blessed by the supposed 'Dragon Gods'. As was typical of him in the face of such a serious question he laughed boisterously, easily dismissing such claims.

Only now did he realize it was a foolish thing to do. His past and lies have caught up with him now, haven't they?

"Ignia...of all the dragons to incur the wrath of," he whispered barely managing to keep the tremor out of his own words. He himself knew just how volatile the fabled Fire God dragon was. Acnologia maybe heralded as the king of dragons, having somehow emerged victorious from the Dragon festival, but only a few knew the truth-himself and Irene included-that there was always someone more powerful.

The Holy Pentadrakes; The Five Great Dragon Gods.

"August, what a foolish gamble you have taken on."

For if one of the Holy Pentadrakes wanted the girl-his _aunt_ -dead, then surely she was a lost cause already. Not even worth his nor Irene's attention for that matter. So why the older mage even bothered, he couldn't quite say...

"Foolish indeed, hm?" He paused, resting a hand on the edges of the letter moving it the tiniest bit, the dimming light from his window making the unseen object glint. "What is this?" He mutters, carefully bringing it closer to his face and raising a brow in confusion.

" _Dear mistur and missus drageen slyurs,_ " Serena blanched. Was this the writing of a child? It was atrocious! And the wording made it sound as though he and Irene were _married_. He shuddered at the mere thought before continuing to read the sloppy handwriting. " _My name izs N-A-T-S-U-Y-A-"_

"I hate this child already," Serena muttered wanting nothing more than to crumple the small piece of paper.

" _-_ _D-R-A-G-N-E-E-L, and I caan ushe drageen slyur magic too!_ " His magic resonated with his magic container a bit, causing a few small little bits of fire to spark at his fingertips. " _Gramps-"_ he snorted, knowing she was referring to August " _says weell bee aarrving ein Alveerez sewn, and ther two of yuu weell bee my teeechrs or whatevr._ "

Serena scoffed. No way would he teach such a hopeless brat, Irene was an even less likely candidate. What kind of child at her age sends a letter but doesn't know how to spell? ' _Not the brightest bulb, eh_?' he thought, a tad amused.

Meanwhile further down the hall, Irene was regarding the second letter with nothing short of contempt. ' _This is the most poor excuse of penmanship I have ever seen_! _And for this mere child to have the audacity to write to_ _ **me**_! _The nerve_.' She thought, her red lips cast down into a formidable frown casting a withering glare towards her bedroom door when she heard a knock.

"What is it?" She called out, her tone perhaps a tad more waspish than intended. Not that she really cared, so few of the people here were worth her time anyhow.

"Fret not Irene, for it is merely I!"

Her left brow twitched yet again, her jaw setting. ' _Great. This fool_...'

For just a moment she ponders over switching forms, especially when he strikes that ridiculous pose of his while standing in _her_ room. Surely the emperor could afford to pay off any damages it would incur, while also being able to explain to all the citizens any wild claims of them seeing a scarlet-hued dragon so late at night. All in all, she'd say her chances for getting away with it were fairly good.

"I see you also have gotten August's letter then," he commented losing his more eccentric mannerisms for the moment and adopting a more serious tone while looking at the piece of paper held in her hand.

"Ah yes, Yajeel mentioned you got something as well..."

"I believe it is due to our magic that he seeks the aid of you and the one and only magnificent I to help with the situation!" She felt the table crack underneath where her other hand lay, exerting the smallest amount of KI taking a small bit of pleasure in the way he began to sweat bullets in front of her. "Th-th-that is to say, Lady Irene, as well as our connection to the dragons!"

The KI vanished, her expression turning into one of puzzlement re-scanning the contents of the letter more slowly. "The Pentadrakes you mean, yes he does mention one doesn't he? Though I recognize the name I am unfamiliar as to which element this Ignia fellow represents-"

"Fire." Serena cut in, expression all business once again. "I do not know all of them, only two or three, but I do recall Ignia being the Fire God Dragon. I also recall the Water God Dragon, Mercuphobia."

"I myself have never met any of them truth be told, though from the stories I've heard...each of them are said to be on par with Acnologia himself in terms of power." Irene commented placing the letter onto the table, contemplating her lack of information.

"I myself have only glimpsed the Water God Dragon, and the only reason I daresay that I escaped with my life was simply due to the fact that he has no desire to ' _needlessly kill another living being any longer_ ' wanting to be left in peace, or so it seemed." Serena said, seeming to shudder a bit at the memory of the encounter. "Even so, I would say his temperament might be the best out of the five, certainly more so than that of Ignia."

"Perhaps I am mistaken, but the source of your power is the Five Pentadrakes, is it not? The lacrima's inside you are infused with their power after all." When Serena scoffed, Irene was visibly intrigued.

"Do you truly believe...that _any_ of the Five God Dragons would _willingly_ give up their powers? Let alone to one mere human?"

Irene did not give an answer.

"The powers stored in the lacrimas is more of a replication in of itself, based off of countless theories and eye-witness accounts as well as endless painstaking hours of researchers studying over reported sightings and leftover damage from the few times they interacted with other living beings." He explained, looking almost pained by the admission. "The power is real to some extent and certainly does enable me the same usage of techniques however-"

"It is little more than a washed out version of the real deal." Irene finished in the same serious tone earning a nod from her fellow Spriggin.

"Though that still leaves the ever-important question, doesn't it?" Irene pondered aloud. "Why would one of the Pentadrakes, whom up until now have never left their respective domains come all the way from Giltena, away from their home seeking the head of a nameless girl?"

"August mentioned the girl, Natsuya, said how she was trained by both Acnolgoia to some extent as well as Igneel. He also went on to say how Natsuya mentioned to him that when confronted in her dream by him, Ignia confirmed himself to be related to one of the dragons that raised her."

"Yes. August also mentioned when witnessing her utilizing her magic she _only_ used fire-based magic-the magic this Igneel taught her, no doubt-implying both through her words and mannerisms that she may in fact be unable to utilize whatever magic Acnologia attempted to teach her." Irene surmised, her lips pursed.

"It also merits the question of why Acnologia took an interest in her as well. I highly doubt it was for mere sport, and if he did possibly kill off the dragon called Igneel then perhaps Ignia merely wishes for revenge assuming the real killer to be Natsuya?" Serena theorized calmly.

"No. If nothing else, his status as one of the Five Holy Pentadrakes means he should be more than capable of telling that a small child who cannot even fully control her own magic has no chance of killing a dragon of all things."

"Unless..." Serena began to say then trailed off, his expression looking a bit disturbed. "Perhaps she had assistance in the form of Acnolgoia, he may have done so as a means of... _insurance_."

"Insurance?"Irene repeated, realization dawning in her eyes. "You mean he wishes for Natsuya to become like him? A humanity hating, dragon killing monster that everyone fears and cowers at the mere mention of? Oh, his majesty would simply _love_ for that to happen, I'm sure." She says with a heavy amount of sarcasm imagining her emperor's look of utter horror upon hearing such news.

"Otherwise, it may also be related to _E.N.D._ "

"Hold your tongue," Irene hissed out. Her eyes sharp and holding an unspoken threat while she glanced around. "The walls are thin after all, and few people here know how to keep a secret it seems."

The two descending into hushed, barely audible whispers after that so as not to be heard. Neither of them aware of feather-light footsteps hurrying away from the other side of the door belonging to a certain, familiar head of soft blonde hair.

~x~

"I have given it much thought after last night's 'episode'," August begins fully aware of the rather vacant look brewing in his young charge's eyes reminding him of Ajeel whenever it was time for something that required precise, detailed explanation. He sighed heavily watching her head nod right off the palm of her hand, almost eating a face full of grass.

"I feel as though it is imperative that you-"

 ***SNORE***

"Natsuya, if you could please-"

 ***SNORE***

"Due to last night's-"

 ***SNORE***

"Considering the severity of the situation, I feel as though-"

 ***SNORE~***

August felt his exceptionally long patience finally start to wear thin, a dark ominous cloud forming overhead while he gazed down at the small little offending pink-haired child before him. ' _This child...is by far much worse than even Ajeel_.' The wizened mage thought with a pensive frown, unable to comprehend for a moment how one dragon, let alone _two,_ could mange to teach her anything!

" **NATSUYA!** " He added the smallest amount of raw magical energy into his voice making it echo loudly, successfully startling said girl awake.

"Huh? What's going on? What happened?" Natsuya said lazily looking around from where she had tipped over onto the grass, a line of drool dripping down from the corner of her mouth. August's brows pinched together in a visible show of pure annoyance.

" _As I was saying_ ," he began in a tone that warranted little tolerance for objections, "due to the events of last night I have come to the conclusion to begin your training early, before we are to set foot in Alvarez so that you are better prepared to-"

"What? Get out! We're already training, yay!" Natsuya's face lit up at the prospect of growing stronger.

"Yes, but your real training will be done with Irene and Serena, what we are doing can be considered the 'warm-up' exercises." He stated in a much more patient tone than five seconds ago, easily regaining his composure. "That is, provided they agree to it."

"Huh? Who're they? Are they dragons too?" Natsuya inquired with a tilt of her head.

"No. They are...more unique cases than ordinary humans however," his gaze softened a bit. "Remember what I mentioned before about second chances? I suppose you can think of it as a similar scenario, they each bear scars from their struggles to get to where they are, you must never forget-It is only by going through the struggles of life that one can become strong; At our darkest times we can either be at our most powerful or our absolute weakest."

"Hold up Gramps," August felt his left brow twitch a little, "this Irene lady...you mentioned her before right?"

He nodded. "That is correct. It was she who invented the magic known as Dragon Slayer Magic."

"And...she's not like _him_ , right?" Natsuya muttered, a slight tremor to her words. "Like that Ignia guy?"

"She can be...a tad unpredictable, shall we say, but no. To my knowledge she has never reached that level of aggression." August supplied with an affirmative nod.

Natsuya looked a little more relieved.

"Before we begin Natsuya, tell me that individual called Ignia," he waited for her to look up studying her overall expression carefully, "you have never met before last night, correct?"

Natsuya frowned slightly, her face scrunching up into a look of deep concentration. Her arms folding over her chest while she sat on the grass, becoming almost still as a statue. A few minutes passed before she spoke again.

"I'm pretty sure, yeah. It's just really weird though, cuz I have this funny feeling right here in the pit of my tummy," she placed her hands over said part of her body frowning. "It's...not quite sadness, but...more like I was looking at something I thought I lost a really long time ago…."

August let out a thoughtful hum at her words. His curiosity piqued even further now, wondering over what the relation between her and one of the Five God Dragons could be.

' _So long as we travel by sea, we should be back in Alvarez by at most three days. Hopefully Irene and Serena might be able to offer greater assistance on this matter._ ' August thought before pushing such thoughts away and re-focusing his attention on training his aunt.

All else could wait for now. Family came first.

~x~

The familiar loneliness grips around Larcade's heart like a vice. His eyes unusually empty while staring down at the floor of his bedroom.

' _Natsuya_.' The name left a sour taste in his mouth, having only heard it a handful of times in passing, and only from his father. Larcade's expression saddened even further at the reminder; The ever present feeling that he himself was simply not enough-not _worth_ his own family's attention-causing his heart to ache tremendously.

' _Now that August has found her...'_ He didn't dare finish the thought, a part of him becoming frozen with fear. He felt both his chest and throat tighten, finding it more difficult than ever just to breathe.

Wordlessly he resolved to try and hold onto the faint hope that perhaps August was right in his assumptions. Maybe this Natsuya character wouldn't want him to go away like he thought. The small burst of positivity made it a little easier to breathe, allowing Larcade to bring some inkling of focus back into his mind feeling his magic begin to pulse throughout the air filling it with ethernano.

"Don't lose control...don't lose control..." He whispered the mantra over and over, pushing himself up and making his way towards the open bedroom window, pulling on the soft blonde strands of hair atop his head to distract himself. "Don't lose control…!"

He exhaled slowly feeling the rise in magical pressure slowly begin to drop, his heart still pounding in his chest. He re-opened his eyes as the brilliant orange glow faded away, blinking and falling back when instead of the starry night sky he was met with another's sharp, assessing gaze. A predatory-like smirk spreading across their face while they spoke in a menacing drawl.

"Well now... _That power_ ," Larcade felt his breath hitch. "You're no ordinary human, are you?"

"Who-"

Larcade's throat betrayed him, constricting painfully when he tried to speak. The strangers own raw power pulling at him like gravity, suffocating him with it's intensity. He felt paralyzed by the invisible weight bearing down on him.

"You smell a lot like her too...interesting." Larcade flinched when an arm encircled his waist easily hefting him up off the floor despite his protests. "Guess you'll have to do then," Larcade pounded against the person's limbs with little to no effect, a panic-stricken expression coming onto his face when he saw the first lick of fire spreading up along the arm that held him-

The entire palace wall exploded.

" _Larcade_!"

The young prince screams, feeling pain searing through the surface of his arms burning hotter than a branding iron scorching and tearing the flesh like tissue paper. He sobbed, oblivious to Irene and God Serena's cries, only hearing the maniacal laughter from the one holding him, whimpering because-the man transformed into a _freakin dragon_!?-his arms were burning.

The dragon was covered with dark red scales and had a beige underside from what he could tell, with a horn-tipped nose. He was bigger than any building Larcade had ever seen, possibly even the palace itself, with two enormous bat-like wings at his back. His sharp pointed fangs and claws giving off a menacing glint of their own in the dim light of the moon, bearing several caudal spines around his face and a crystal horn from the top of his head.

"Ignia..." Serena breathed out the name in a mix of awe and trepidation. Irene being the first of the two to react.

"Send word to the Emperor and August. _NOW_!"

The scarlet despair gave way to her other form in a brilliant flash of light, shredding her clothes and letting out a beastly roar of her own. Ignia merely smirked in response, seeming to find her rage amusing.

" _ **Oh? You think you stand a chance against me, do you?**_ " Ignia's expression was pure evil, even in dragon form. " _ **What an idiot**_."

Black tinged the edges of Larcade's vision starting to tunnel just as Ignia let out a mighty roar of burning flames. Falling unconscious to the sound of Irene's own vicious snarl.

* * *

 **Review.**

 _Poll Question:_ _What would you like to see Natsuya have in terms of a potential secondary magic other than Dragon Slayer Magic? If any?_


End file.
